Method of making fabric covered buckles



Jan. 6, 1953 w. EATON METHOD OF MAKING FABRIC COVERED BUCKLES 2 SliEETS-SHEET 1 Filed March 5, 1948 IN VEN TOR.

6. W A TTOfP/VE'V Jan. 6, 1953 w. EATON 4 METHOD OF MAKING FABRIC COVERED BUCKLES 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed March 5, 1948 f INVENTOR. lfillaw 60 5 5, W 4770mm) Patented Jan. 6, 1953 OFFICE- METHOD OF MAKING FABRIC COVERED BUCKLES William Eaton, Glen Head, N. Y. Application March 3, 1948, Serial No. 12,750

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to wearing apparel, especially to waist belts and more particularly to a buckle for a waist belt.

A principal object of this invention is to provide the necessary materials and devices and a process by which one may easily and successfully produce a belt buckle having a coverin of the same material as the garment with which the belt is associated. in use.

Other objects and advantages will appear as the description of the particular physical embodiment selected to illustrate the invention progresses and the novel features will be particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In describing the invention in detail and the particular physical embodiment selected to illustrate the invention, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings and the several views thereon, in which like characters of reference designate like parts throughout the and in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of a sheet pattern used in practicing my invention; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a dispensible protecting sheet for a buckle framework coated with an adhesive on one side and protected by the sheet; Fig. 3 a perspective view illustrating the positioning of the pattern sheet upon a fragment of garment or dress material; Fig. 4 illustrates an intermediate result in the practice of my process and is a rectangular sheet of dress material with the pattern sheet of Fig. 1 attached thereto and trimmed to size Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view of the article as shown by Fig. 4 on the plane indicated by the line V-V viewed in the direction of the: arrows at the ends of the line; Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a buckle framework with a protecting cover in place thereunder; Fig. 7 is a buckle framework with the protecting cover removed indicating on the upper surface a coating of adhesive; Fig. 8 is a somewhat hollow rectangular finishing sheet with a thermo-plastic coating applied to the under side thereof; Fig. 9 illustrates, in plan view, the first step in the attachment of the dress goods covering to the buckle framework; Fig. 10 illustrates the next step to that of Fig. 9 in applying the covering to the buckle; Fig. 11 is a plan illustrating the appearance after the hollow rectangular finishing sheet is applied to the article as illustrated by Fig. 10; Fig. 12 illustrates the completed buckle as viewed from the front side, that is the side opposite from that as shown in Fig. 10; and Fig. 13 is a cross sectional view of the article as shown by Fig. 12 on the plane indicated by the line several views,

2 XIII-XIII viewed in the direction of the arrows at the ends of the line.

Those acquainted with apparel needs are familiar with the fact that many people, especially women, desire to have the buckle of a waist belt worn with a dress covered with the same material as that of the dress and further, many perhaps by reason of economy, desire to make the buckle themselves. My invention provides the necessary parts for combining with a desired dress goods to make the desired buckle, and my process facilitates and makes possible the formation of the desired buckle by an ordinary, perhaps highly unskilled, person.

The first element to be considered in connection with my invention is a pattern sheet. This pattern sheet may be formed in any suitable or appropriate manner. I prefer to form it of a textile material, by printing the pattern thereon. My preferred sheet is shown in Fig. 1 and is designated as a whole by I. It is a rectangular sheet of proper size outlined by the line 2 which merely defines the size of the sheet. The printed outline of the pattern is designated 3 and at approximately the center of the sheet are lines 4, 5, 6 and I which are substantially coincident with diagonals of the rectangle formed by lines 3. If the outer ends of lines 4, 5, 6 and I are connected by lines composing the outlines parallel with the lines 3, it will be found that the rectangle thereby produced is of the same dimensions as the rectangle defined by lines 8, 9, H], ll, 12 and H of Fig. 6, which is an illustration of the buckle framework to be used in connection with my invention, so that if a cut is made along lines 4, 5, 6 and I, as shown in Fig. 1, and cuts are so made as to remove all of the material within the polygonal figure Id of Fig. 1, there will be left a series of tabs l5, IE, ll, l3, l9 and 20 which are adapted to be turned upwardly, as viewed in Fig. 1, and then downwardly when the framework of the buckle, Fig. 6, is lying on the pattern, Fig. 1, along the line of lines 6 to 13 inclusive of Fig. 6-. These tabs may then be turned downwardly and rest upon the upper surface of the belt buckle framework as illustrated by Fig. 9.

The pattern sheet, Fig. 1, is provided with an adhesive 2| on the under side thereof, as illustrated by Fig. 1. This is preferably a thermoplastic adhesive.

The first step in forming a buckle, in accordance with my method, is to place the pattern sheet I on the textile or dress material desired, as 22, of Fig. 8. I intend to designate by the terms, textile or dress material, any fairly thin material which is flexible and suitable for apparel. A suitably heated iron or other source of heat is then applied to the upper surface of the" pattern sheet i and the pattern sheet secured to the dress material 22.

The next step in my method is to out along the lines composing the outline 3 of the pattern sheet I and along the lines 4, 5, 6 and I of the pattern sheet and also remove the polygonal shaped piece it of Fig. 1. This cutting should be done through both the pattern sheet and the dress material 22 so that a completed proper sized buckle covering is obtained.

The buckle framework of my invention may be made of any suitable or appropriate material. I prefer metal. Thin sheet steel is appropriate. It must be of substantially rigid material. The general outline of the framework is rectangular as shown by 2d in Fig. 6. The general construc tion of the buckle framework is that of a hollow square with a cross bar 25 across the hollow leaving two apertures 25 and 2? through the framework. The framework is coated on the underside, and on the upper side as shown in Fig. 7, with a permanently tacky adhesive 28 of the same general nature as that used on the well-known Scotch tape. As the various articles for making the completed buckle are sold in commerce, the tacky surface of the buckle frame 24 is protected by a protecting sheet 29, shown in perspective in Fig. 2 and shown as under the framework 24 in Fig. 6.

After the step, as illustrated by Fig. l, is completed, and the protecting sheet 25 is removed from the buckle frame 2 the buckle frame 2 is placed symmetrically on the cutout material 22 with the tacky side up, as shown in Fig. 9, and then the corners 3%, 3|, 32 and 33 of the combined pattern and dress goods are turned up and downwardly and pressed in firm contact with the sticky upper surface 28 of the buckle 24 so that they will remain in place. The next step is to fold over the free edges 34, 35, 3S and 31 into contact with the tacky surface 28 of the buckle frame 24 so that they will then appear as shown in Fig. 10.

The next'step is to apply the finishing hollow rectangle 38 shown in perspective in Fig. 8. This hollow finishing rectangle may be made of any suitable or appropriate material, a fairly thin textile material is preferred. The under surface of the finishing rectangle, as shown in Fig. 8, is provided with a coating of thermoplastic adhesive 39. The finishing rectangle is placed upon the article, as shown in Fig. 10, so that it will then appear as shown in Fig. 11, and a heated member, such as a hot iron, is placed on the finishing rectangle 38 and the thermoplastic adhesive 39 attaches it firmly to the parts lying thereunder.

The completely finished article is illustrated in Fig. 12 which shows a face view of the completed buckle exhibiting the dress material 22.

The completed buckle, as illustrated by Fig. 12, is then used as is any ordinary buckle by suitably passing one end of the belt up from below and over the cross bar 25 and then down again and attaching the end to the main body of the belt.

From the hereinbefore given description it will be apparent that I have produced the desirable parts and articles by 1 means of which the or dinary unskilled person may successfully form a belt buckle with a covering like that of a dress with which it is intended to be worn and that no apparatus or tools are needed for successfully making this buckle, in accordance with my process, other than something in the general form of a knife or scissors and a hot iron.

Although I have particularly described one particular physical embodiment of my invention and the method thereof, nevertheless I desire to have it understood that the form selected is merely illustrative and does not exhaust the possible physical embodiments of the idea of means underling my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

The method of forming a buckle having one side exhibit a cover of a desired dress goods which comprises first thermo-plastically adhesively applying a pattern to desired dress goods, then cutting in accordance with the pattern for size and to form desired tabs, then placing a buckle frame, provided with a tacky coating, with the tacky coating positioned away from the pattern and the dress goods, symmetrically on the pattern, then folding over the formed tabs and the corners and free edges of the dress goods and pattern in position to be adhesively attached to the frame and then thermo-plastically adhesively applying over the turned-over portions a hollow finishing rectangle.

WILLIAM EATON.

' file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 7 980,205 Clinch Jan. 3,1911

2,096,564 Scholl Oct. 19, 1937 2,237,158 McDonough Apr. 1, 1941 2,411,328 MacNab Nov. 19, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Number V Country Date 361,524 France 1. Oct. 30, 1913 929,143 France June 30, 1947 OTHER REFERENCES Blondin, The New Encyclopedia of Modern Sewing. Page 219. 

